Ohio State is the reported frontrunner, but 2 other B1G schools make sense for Justin Fields
Well hello, Justin Fields sweepstakes.
The former 5-star recruit is reportedly set to transfer from Georgia, according to a report from USA Today’s Dan Wolken. According to The Toledo Blade, Ohio State is the frontrunner to land Fields.
Obviously this appears to be an extremely fluid situation with moving pieces galore. For starters, we don’t know if Fields will be eligible to play immediately in 2019. NCAA transfer rules state that he’d have to sit the 2019 season as an undergraduate transfer.
But he could follow in Shea Patterson’s footsteps and petition the NCAA for a waiver after a Georgia baseball player was kicked off the team for shouting a racial slur at Fields during Georgia’s game at Tennessee.
So what does that mean? For now, we’re going to treat Fields like he’s someone who can transfer and play immediately in 2019.
Let’s break down the possible B1G destinations:
Why Ohio State could be the choice
It starts with “Ryan” and ends with “Day.” Anybody who saw what Dwayne Haskins did in Day’s system would be intrigued. Haskins put up arguably the best season ever by a B1G quarterback, and Fields is every bit as talented as Haskins.
Fields didn’t get many opportunities to throw at Georgia, which was one of the reasons why he wasn’t content in his role in Athens. At Ohio State, he’d get all the opportunities in the world to throw in a high-powered offense with weapons galore. He’d get to learn from a coach who knows about developing next-level talent, and Fields would keep Ohio State in the national title hunt.
Oh, and did I mention Fields doesn’t want to just hand the ball off?
Justin Fields.. clearly frustrated with his role at times this season.
Here.. following UGA’s 41-17 win over South Carolina..
“I handed the ball off good as f*#k…I didn’t do s*#t bro)
(Explicit language⬇️) pic.twitter.com/ahNzsTmzg9
— Zach Klein (@ZachKleinWSB) December 18, 2018
Now it’s worth noting that there are still some questions that would need to be answered before Fields signs on the dotted line. As in, what’s going to happen with Haskins? He said he’s going to delay his NFL decision. If Haskins is coming back, it wouldn’t make a ton of sense for Fields to want to sit behind him for a year, assuming he’s eligible.
There’s also the Tate Martell factor. The former Gatorade National Player of the Year showed promise in his role this season and is already a fan favorite in Columbus. He’s been vocal about not backing down from any competition, and if Fields did come to OSU, that’s what he’d get. Fields still fits Day’s system better than Martell, but it’s fair to at least question if he’d look elsewhere at a place with a clearer path to a starting gig.
For now, though, it appears that if Fields does come to the B1G, it’ll be to Ohio State.
What about Penn State?
As you recall, Fields was once committed to the Lions. He eventually flipped to Georgia, but what if Fields wants to revisit that? Part of why he committed to Penn State was to play in Joe Moorhead’s offense. Obviously, Moorhead is now at Mississippi State so that connection wouldn’t be there.
But PSU still essentially runs what Moorhead ran, and the opportunity to replace Trace McSorley would be there. Fields would have a top-15 team around him with skill players galore. He’d compete in the big-time atmosphere that attracted him as a recruit, and he’d have a chance to compete for a Playoff berth on a yearly basis.
Now if Fields was only committed to the idea of playing for Moorhead, Penn State doesn’t make much sense anymore. Maybe that’s the case and that’s why the Lions weren’t linked in The Blade’s report along with Florida State and Oklahoma.
Still, you can bet James Franklin would love the opportunity to get a second crack at the one that got away.
Am I crazy for thinking Michigan would make sense?
Maybe, but consider this.
If Shea Patterson leaves for the NFL, Jim Harbaugh is going to have to turn to a first-year starter either way. While Dylan McCaffrey has Michigan fans excited, is he really the talent that Fields is? It’s probably too small of a sample size to tell just yet, but that’s my way of saying by no means would there be a wall separating Fields from the starting gig at Michigan.
Getting to work with Harbaugh and Pep Hamilton was what intrigued Patterson about transferring to Michigan, and the same could go for Fields. He’d get a chance to run pro-style concepts mixed with some run-pass option looks. On top of that, the return of Donovan Peoples-Jones and Nico Collins would make it a fun offense to step into.
Yes, Michigan’s offense didn’t take off like Ohio State’s. But this could come down to opportunity, and if Haskins does return to Ohio State, a big-time program like Michigan could have a lot to offer the coveted sophomore-to-be.
And one last thing…
I know that the odds of Fields going to Maryland are slim when he can virtually pick any school he wants, but if I’m Mike Locksley, I’m getting on the phone and having the following conversation.
“Hey, Justin? This is Mike Locksley, AKA the guy who engineered Tua Tagovailoa’s historic 2018 season. Want to follow in his footsteps?”
Locksley needs to make that pitch, even if it’s to Fields’ voicemail.